


Counting Infinity

by FallinApart



Series: When Thoughts Are Constellations [2]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Aliens, Angst and Humor, Demons, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Mystery, Original Character(s), Supernatural Elements, Suspense, scifi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-28
Updated: 2016-05-17
Packaged: 2018-05-10 01:07:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5562862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallinApart/pseuds/FallinApart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor and Maggie are back in the TARDIS for another adventure, but events get complicated when they're drawn to small town in the midwest and where they encounter a mysterious man, claiming to be a demon hunter. Mysterious disappearances begin to occur at an alarming rate. Is this man telling the truth, and will the Doctor stop whatever's taking the town's citizens in time? Something's off about the town, and they're going to find out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Well, here we go again! If you haven’t read When Thoughts Are Constellations, this fic should be easy enough to understand, but if you want to know the story that introduced Maggie, feel free to do so! Also, I renew my oath: I solemnly swear that I will not create a Mary Sue and I will keep all characters in character to the best of my ability.**

**I don’t own Doctor Who or any of its characters.**

**Enjoy!**

                The gentle hum of the TARDIS was faded out behind the sound of a record player spinning to life. Dean Martin’s voice crooned in the background. Maggie smiled as she reached to her full height to snatch a book off a taller shelf.

                _“Tell me quick, ain’t love a kick in the head.”_

“You know, if you wanted to listen to some good ole _jazzey tunes_ , we could say hello to my good friend Frank Sinatra.”

“Hmmm….” She offered a noncommittal shrug, but chuckled. The song faded and the next began to play. Maggie glanced back at the Doctor, who sat across the swimming pool, staring intently at the table on which he was playing chess with himself.

                “So, explain it to me again, how this whole swimming pool in the library thing works?” Maggie asked, walking around and taking a seat across from the Doctor, holding a copy of _The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy._   The Doctor looked up at her with a small grin, breaking his focus on the chessboard.

                “Well, it’s _simple_ really. I installed a special force field that deflects H 20 particles, but still allows solid biotic material to pass through.”

                Maggie raised her eyebrows and the edge of her lips quirked upward.

                “Well, that would explain why my hands have been getting so dried out.”

                The Doctor waved his screwdriver in dismissal, “Eh, nothing some moisturizer can’t fix.”

                Maggie shook her head and smiled, “This is all…..insane. So _amazingly_ insane.”

                The Doctor looked up at her, his forehead crinkling, “Really? You like it?”

                “Well, of course, it’s spectacular!” she sputtered, regretting how silly she must have sounded, looking all around her in wonder, “I guess since you’re around it all of the time it’s easy to forget that.”

                The Doctor’s face lit up.

                Maggie looked down and flipped open the cover to the _Hitchhiker’s guide_ and leafed through the pages pensively.

                “Pay close attention to that, will you? It’s more accurate than one would guess.” The Doctor quipped, glancing up, shifting the mood. The chessboard sat long forgotten. She supposed playing only himself only held appeal for so long.

                “But how…?” Maggie asked, her eyes narrowing.

 “This is a sci-fi novel written back in the nineteen-seventies…”

                “Ah, yes, but I helped write it,” the Doctor smiled knowingly, “Oh, good old Douglas.”

                Maggie snorted, her composure breaking with a laugh, “Of course you knew him too,” she chuckled.

                “Oi, come on! I’m insulted that you didn’t think _I_ had a hand in one of Earth’s greatest works of science fiction!” he said, springing up on his lanky limbs, and adjusting his bowtie.

                Maggie waved her hands in mock surrender, “My apologies, Doc,” she smiled.

                “So, where to today?” she asked. The Doctor clapped his hands together and rested them under his chin.

                “Well, the palace of Versailles is quite lovely this time of year in the 1700s. Quite the party animals they are!” the Doctor smiled. Maggie tilted her head.

                “Hmm….never been to France,” she admitted.

                “You’ve never been to France? Well, we ought to fix that then!” the Doctor smiled, turning around to face the console and typing what looked like coordinates. He reached up and pulled down a lever and the TARDIS shook.

                _VRRRRSSHHHHHHVRRRSSSSHHHHHVRRRSHHH_

                Maggie stumbled forward before catching herself on the railing.

               

 

“Viola! Versailles!” the Doctor exclaimed as he burst open the TARDIS door. However, his smile quickly faded into a frown and he clenched his jaw as he spun around to face Maggie.

Maggie peered around his thin frame despite his efforts.

“Soooooo…..call it a shot in the dark, but I don’t think this is France.”

The Doctor frowned stepping out of the alley they landed in.

“No……” he said putting a finger to the air and then dabbed it on his tongue.

“Modern day Midwestern United States? _Well_ —modern day for _you_ , by the looks of it.”

He looked back questioningly at the TARDIS, pushing the sides of his jacket back to rest his hands on his hips.

“The old girl doesn’t always take us where we want to go, but always where we need to go, I suppose…..whatever _this_ is supposed to mean.”

“If that’s the case….why are we here then?”

“I haven’t the faintest idea. Care to find out?”

“Hmm….that depends, can we grab food first?” Maggie raised a brow, her arms crossing over her chest.

The Doctor smiled.

“Well, _that_ can be arranged…”

 

 

 

 

**Disclaimer: I don’t own Doctor who, Douglas Adam’s _Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,_ Dean Martin’s _Ain’t that a Kick in the Head,_ or any other references or characters other than Maggie. Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So, just a heads up, this story _will_ have a few _supernatural_ elements. This story in particular will NOT be a crossover, but it certainly sets up this world for that potentially in the future. So, essentially all the characters, except for the Doctor and any classic villains/morally ambiguous alien species (not to give anything away this early in the game), will be characters that I’ve created. So I hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think!**

The diner the Doctor and Maggie had stumbled upon seemed lively with customers. Maggie drank in the scene, her gaze glossing over the retro, 1950s-esque décor, as they passed the brightly colored barstools and slid into an empty booth.

                “This place better have a mean slice of chess pie. I think I’m _craving_ it! Haven’t craved anything in a while…”

                Maggie chuckled as the Doctor rambled on, her eyes falling to the menu placed in front of her by a tired-looking middle aged woman in a wrinkled apron. She gave a polite smile and nod before looking back to the Doctor.

                “Do you think they have those Cokes in the tiny glass bottles? I do love those. _Oooh_ , and I happened to bring that straw that adds extra _fizzies_ to it!”

                “I’m sure they do. Wouldn’t be a quality diner without them,” she mused, flipping over the menu.

                The waitress returned with a couple of waters and a coffeepot in her hand.

                “Coffee?” she offered.

                “I’ll have some, thank you,” Maggie said, sliding her empty ceramic mug across the tabletop.

                “I will as well!” the Doctor said, earning a furrowed look from Maggie.

                “Are you sure that’s a good idea? I thought you didn’t like the taste? Not to mention, I may be a bit terrified to see your energy levels with caffeine…” she remarked dryly.

                “Oi, well I think it’s safe to say, this isn’t my first cup of coffee in all my years of traveling. So, _yes_ , I would _love_ a cup, thank you,” he said, meeting the waitresses bemused expression with a smile.

                The waitress filled the mugs before hurrying off to the next table.

                Maggie added her cream and sugar while watching the Doctor curiously. She made the mistake of taking her first sip just in time to see him immediately pick up the mug and take a long sip of black coffee. He immediately spit it out, sending spatters of coffee half-way across the table and she nearly choked on her own coffee as she sputtered in laughter. He made a sour face.

                “ _Ughh_ …..what was _that_?” he groaned.

                “Well, that was _coffee_ …”

                “That was _not_ coffee, no, that was bloody _bean water_ ,” he spat, trying to rub the taste off of his tongue.

                “You realize that’s wh—“

                “—I know, I know!”

                Maggie laughed again, shaking her head.

                “You know, you didn’t have to drink it black.”

                “Yeah, well, not having it black is like cheating, right?”

                “Yeah, sure, yah little _dork_ ….”

                He shot her an unamused look.

                “My _favorite_ little dork,” she corrected, smiling into the mug as the rolling steam hit her lips. She caught him half-rolling his eyes, but kept smiling.

                A few minutes later the waitress came back and they placed their orders.

                While Maggie cut a small chunk of her waffle with her fork, she glanced back up at the Doctor.

                “So, why do you think the TARDIS brought us here? It seems pretty ordinary to me.”

                The Doctor hummed thoughtfully, pushing around the crumbs left on his nearly empty plate.

                “Perhaps…… _or_ we may have walked into the middle of something very dangerous…”

                “What…..what do you mean?” she asked, freezing mid-bite. She didn’t like the sudden shift in his voice. He leaned forward ever slightly and lowered his voice.

                “Take another look at the other guests….”

                She slowly set her fork down on the plate in front of her, raising her head and looking over his shoulder and the groups of people behind him.

                _They were completely still. And silent._

She looked over her shoulder and it was more of the same….

And more than that…

_“Doc, why are they all staring at us?”_

                Her voice had dropped to a whisper as she looked around, wide-eyed as she met his gaze.

                “Can I get you two anything else?”

                The waitress’s voiced caused her to jump as she looked up to find the older lady standing over them by their table.

                She fleetingly met the Doctor’s eyes before looking back to her.

                “I—ah, actually…..think we were _just_ leaving,” he said, frowning uneasily as he began to rise from his seat.

                The waitress suddenly slammed the tray she was holding hard onto the table. The two jumped at the noise and Maggie’s head snapped up to look at the waitress. Her expression grew blank, her eyes, which had been _normal_ a moment before, turned black.

                “ _Holy_ shit…..that’s _not_ okay….!” Maggie swore under her breath as she hopped to her feet, backing closer to the wall in the booth. The Doctor suddenly stood to his full height and shoved the waitress back, darting out of the booth and grabbing Maggie’s hand. His head swiveled around as he looked for anything to grab. He reached out and grabbed a broom leaning against the wall, pushing Maggie behind him as he flourished it in front of him in an attempt to keep the woman back.

                The other “customers” began to slowly raise from their seats. The Doctor waived his broom in front of them as he and Maggie slowly backed up.

                “Tell me the whole plan!” The Doctor shouted. The people’s faces remained blank and one by one their eyes turned black.

                “Doctor, that _never_ works!” Maggie said between gritted teeth, attempting to conceal the panic in her voice.

                “ _Yeah_ , I _know_ , but I always hope that one day it will…” he muttered.

                Maggie yelped as one suddenly lunged out and tried to grab her arm. She yanked back, futilely trying to kick him back.

                “Let go!” she said with a shove back at the man. The Doctor tried to hit him with the broom, but the man with the black eyes easily caught it.

                The Doctor froze in surprise before the man ripped it out of his hands and snapped the broom in half.

                “Oh _dear_ ….” He said quietly, briefly meeting Maggie’s distressed gaze before the entire crowd rushed towards them.

                _Crack!!_

                Suddenly a loud shot shattered through the chaos, causing Maggie to duck down and her hands flew to her ears. The entire crowd of black-eyed customers froze, their heads turning towards the source of the sound.

                Maggie’s head rose just high enough to see a man in the corner of the room climb atop a booth table, a pistol in his hand pointing at the ceiling, a small waft of smoke drifting from its barrel.

                “Over here, _amigos_ ,” the dark haired man called out, lowering his gun and hopping off the table. As the man nearest to the dark haired gun-slinger ran towards him, the dark haired man grabbed the glass of water from the table he had been sitting, and splashed the charging man in the face.

                Seemingly without explanation, a cry of agony filled the air, and what looked like steam come from the soaked man’s face.

                “Did that….did that just _burn_ him?” Maggie whispered frantically.

                All eight of the people charged at him, suddenly losing all interest in Maggie and the Doctor. The dark haired man dodged a punch and countered with one of his own. Maggie could have sworn she heard bone crack as the counter landed on the assailant’s jaw. She watched on, frozen in an odd mix of fear and awe at the man scrapping his way through the ground with a sort of rugged finesse that was hard to describe.

                The sound of a bullet clicking into a chamber snapped her out of her reverie. She glances up just in time to see a young woman in the group fire a pistol towards the dark haired man.

                “Get down!” the Doctor shouted, grabbing her and pulling her back under the booth table to take shelter from the gunfire.

_“What the hell is going on?”_

                “I haven’t the _faintest_ clue……but I _think_ he may be the good guy.”

                The Doctor tugged her back further under booth table as more gunshots filled the air.

                “Or _not_.”

Several more shots were fired, but she couldn’t see who fired what from her position. She held onto the Doctor’s arm with a near vice-like grip at the sudden shot of shattering glass. She flinched as she saw a body hit the floor….it was bleeding….but she wouldn’t tell if they were alive or not. Several more shouts filled the small diner, followed by more breaking glass. The sound of heavy footsteps and running on pavement…..and…..then silence.

The Doctor met Maggie’s wide eyes and froze, listening for any other sounds. After a moment, the Doctor spoke up.

“ _Hello_? Sorry, but ah, if we get out from under hear, do you promise not to shoot us?” he asked with a rather as-matter-of-fact tone that caught Maggie off guard after the previous violence.

There was another moment of silence before a raspy voice spoke up.

_“Get up.”_

                Maggie stole another glance at the Doctor before he cautiously peered his head out. She scrambled out behind him. When she looked up, the dark haired man was standing over them. She blinked as she climbed to her feet.

                “Put out your hand,” the dark haired man looked at the Doctor. The Doctor furrowed his brows, his mouth hanging ajar for a moment. He kept his arms by his side.

                “Now why—“

                The man suddenly flicked his wrist forward and liquid splashed out of a small flash in his hand, landing on the Doctor’s face. He half-spit out the liquid that landed on his lips. Maggie’s hand flew to her mouth as she couldn’t stop the laugh that erupted from her lips.

                “Are you _mad_?” the Doctor sputtered before sticking out his tongue to taste the liquid, “ _….water_?”

                The dark haired man shifted his gaze towards Maggie. His brow quirked as Maggie slowly dropped the hand covering her mouth back to her side.

                “Put your hand out,” he said again, evenly. He had an accent….she wasn’t sure from where.

                _Spanish…?_

She eyed him cautiously, but wordlessly held her hand out. She met his dark eyes with curiosity, a _rich brown_ , she noted. Saturated……but tired. They stood out starkly against his deeply tanned skin. She figured him to be in his mid-thirties, but she had a feeling he may have been younger than he looked. She thought it may have been her imagination, but she could have sworn she saw his lip twitch upward a fraction beneath his day-or-two-old scruff.

He splashed the water in the flash over her hand, then nodded. She blinked, letting her arm fall back to her side. She looked back to the Doctor, who had his arms folded across his chest, brows deeply furrowed.

                “Who _are_ you?” the Doctor said, wiping the water off his face.

                “You should forget what you saw here and get out of town….” The Man said, pocketing the flask, and holstering his gun.

                _Definitely a Spanish accent…._

                “ _No_ , that’s not _happening._ Now tell me, who are you?” the Doctor pressed, poking the man in the chest.

                The man’s eyes shifted again as he gave the Doctor a once-over. He gave a small grunt of amusement, likely from such a scrawny man acting so aggressive towards him.

              “Okay, okay, _I get it_ ….let’s just try again!” The Doctor waved in dismissal, and extended his hand, “I’m the Doctor, and this is my friend Maggie,” he nodded beside him.

“We are just _travelers_.”

 Maggie regarded the man cautiously, her arms folded across her chest. The man’s eyes drifted back to Maggie for a moment before looking down at the Doctor’s hand, and back to his face. He chuckled dryly.

                “Now you stick your damn hand out….” He remarked, not taking the Doctor’s extended hand. He scoffed, retorting with the same amount of

“Nathaniel Reyes, and I’m just a _hunter_ …..”

The Maggie met the Doctor’s eyes for a brief moment, her brows furrowing.

“A hunter of……what exactly? She asked before she could stop herself. He chuckled again, reaching into his pocket and putting a cigarette to his lips.

“Demons, kiddo, _demons_ …”

 

 

**Stay tuned! Please review and tell me what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

“Demons, kiddo, _demons_ …”

Nathaniel drawled, wisps of smoke drifting from the end of his cigarette.

Maggie pretended to cough into her hand to mask the smile on her face.  She met the Doctor’s eyes and his sour expression. His brows drew together and after a moment he laughed.

“Oh, well, that’s not _possible_ …”

Nathaniel quirked a brow, regarding the Doctor with a cocktail of annoyance and mild amusement. He seemed to be in no hurry as he took another long drag on his cigarette.  He stepped forward, giving the Doctor a once-over.  Maggie’s eyes flickered between the two as Nathaniel towered him, slowly letting out the breath of smoke. The Doctor made another grimace, swatting away the smoke from his face. Nathaniel only stood an inch or two taller than him, but he possessed a looming sort of presence.

Maggie felt the urge to cover her mouth with her hand as she fought back another smile.

_Like an old western showdown._

She thought, cursing her horrendous poker face. It didn’t seem to go unnoticed as Nathaniel’s eyes met hers for a brief moment before returning his burning gaze to the Doctor.

“Now, little man,” Nathaniel back, tapping the side of his cigarette, “I suggest you scurry on back to _Gran_ _Bretaña_ , before you get yourself hurt messing around in things you don’t understand….”

The Doctor’s lips twitched downward into a frown for moment before he offered a tight smile and another dry laugh.

“ _Little man….”_ He chuckled, his hands pushing back the sides of his jacket, “That’s a good one….but no, no, _no_. Not possible. Demons aren’t _real_.”

“So, _aliens_ then?”  Maggie muttered, as more of a passing thought than something she intended to vocalize.

“Yes!” the Doctor exclaimed, spinning back towards her with a point of his finger, “Exactly! _Aliens_ , now that’s a theory that I can get behind.”

Nathaniel cast the Doctor a puzzled look and his gaze flickered between the two. Maggie folded her arms across her chest.

“I hope you realize, to any objective third party, that sounds _about_ just as crazy as demons?”

“Yes, well none of us here happen to be objective third parties, but believe me, it’s _always_ aliens.”

Maggie huffed with, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.

“Alright, _sure_. It’s _always_ aliens,” she admitted with a shrug, “But have you ever considered that _maybe_ just this once, it _might_ be something else?”

The Doctor frowned, his hands resting defiantly on his hips.

“ _Aliens_ ….?” Nathaniel scoffed with a small chuckle, dropping the butt of his cigarette on the concrete and crushing it with his boot.

“Look, you could be chasing goblins for all I care. What I _do_ care about is how the hell you two just drop out of the _goddamned_ sky and into the middle of my hunt when I’ve been chasing intel on those demons for weeks trying to get them all in one location.”

Maggie’s gaze drifted back to Nathaniel with budding curiosity.

“You’re a demon hunter,” Maggie repeated in more of a statement of disbelief, her lips twitching up into a smile as she looked up at the tall man. His dark eyes flickered towards her and he brought a hand up, rubbing over his light scruff.

“Yeah, we’ve established that, kid, keep up.”

Maggie blinked and fought the slight flush that tinted her cheeks. She glanced back to the Doctor.

“ _Yes_ ,” she bit out, “ but I meant maybe we can help you…..”

“Hold on, _what—“_ the Doctor began, but Maggie cut him off once more.

“We’re not exactly demon hunters….but for _travelers_ who do an awful lot of work with, ah, various monsters,” she continued, meeting Nathaniel’s skeptical gaze. Her eyes flickered to the Doctor who almost shot her an equally skeptical gaze while mouthing ‘ _What are you doing?’_

“—mostly in the form of running away from them—“ the Doctor interjected

“ _Not_ the point,” Maggie concluded, folding her arms across her chest.

The Doctor stepped back and cleared his throat. Maggie met his eyes and he gestured for her to come closer. She glanced back at the puzzled-looking Nathaniel and stepped to the Doctor.

“ _What do you think you’re doing?”_ he whispered, his hands gesturing wildly. She raised a brow.

“What do you mean? This is what we always do, isn’t it?” she paused when he pursed his lips together. She whacked him on the shoulder.

“Come on, what’s wrong with you? I know you love this stuff. You’ve never shied away from an adventure before,” she added with pleading eyes. He sighed in slight exasperation.

“I don’t know….I just…..” he said, his voice still lowered. He paused, biting at his lip as he glanced back at Nathaniel.

“And I have a bad feeling about this Nathaniel fellow….”

Maggie rolled her eyes.

“Oh, so is this case giving you the _heeby jeebies_? Ooooooh, _scary_ ,” she laughed, poking him in the side. He met her eyes.

“Maggie….” He said his voice dropping into seriousness. Her smile slowly fell.

“Wait…..are you…. _scared_?” she asked, her voice dropping to a whisper. The Doctor suddenly released a loud bout of laughter.

“ _Scared_? Me? _Nah!”_ The Doctor scoffed.

“Besides….” His brows rose challengingly, “why would I be afraid of something that doesn’t…. _exist_?” he remarked, tapping Maggie on the nose. Maggie giggled, giving offering a knowing look.

“Then what are we waiting for then?” she quipped.

Just as they turned back towards Nathaniel, they spotted his back turned to them as he walked away. Maggie’s brows furrowed as she shouted after him.

“Hey!” she jogged towards him until he suddenly spun around, causing her to halt in her tracks as she almost rammed into his tall form, “wait….” She said, the sound dying in her throat as his glare cut her off.

“Whatever you think you can help me with, you’re wrong. If you have any sense for what’s best for you, you’ll turn around and get back on whatever _spaceship_ you came on….but _just_ stay _out of this.”_ His eyes held a sort of steely grimness that make Maggie second guess her previous eagerness.

“Well, hold on now!” the Doctor spoke up, stepping forward, “I can help you find these so called _demons_ in no time at all!”

“—you two are a liability, you’ll only get in the way more than you already have.”

Maggie wanted to say something else, but the man was already trudging away. She huffed a big sigh as she watched him leave.

“Geeze…..what an _ass_ …” she muttered, her eyes drifting back to the Doctor. He chuckled, meeting her gaze with a shake of his head.

“I really should invest in a _swear_ jar. I’ll be rich in no time,” he said with a wink. Maggie scoffed a laugh.

“Over my dead body, Space man.”

 

//////////

 

“ _Shhh_! _Quiet_!” the Doctor nearly shout-whispered as Maggie tripped over his foot in the dark alleyway.

“Ouch….” She muttered under her breath as her shin collided with a protruding water pipe.

“ _Can you not go ten minutes without tripping over everything in your path_?” the Doctor whispered again, peering around the corner of the building, eyeing the tall figure in the tan coat. He was little more than a shadowy silhouette in the orangey glow of the nighttime streetlights.

“Oh, _you’re_ one to talk, Mr. _Giraffe_ limbs!” she retorted quietly, shuffling in her spot, “Sorry, I’m not Batman when it comes to tailing people in the dark.”

_Let’s just follow him, he said._

_It will be easy, he said._

Maggie thought, blowing a stray dark curl out of her eyes.

The Doctor peered again around the bricks, seeing the figure move around a corner.

“Quick! He’s on the move!” the Doctor grasped for Maggie’s hand and pulled her out of their hiding spot. She trailed behind him as he crept forward down the street. She watched as the Doctor’s head swiveled to both sides, his brow furrowing.

“Strange…..” he began quietly.

She yelped as an unyielding hand clamped down on her shoulder, suddenly pulling her back by the collar of her shirt. Right as she was about to shout again, she was spun around and a calloused hand clamped over her mouth. She stared up at its owner, eyes widened almost comically.

“ _Na-phan-eeel?”_ she muttered muting into the man’s palm. His hand dropped from her face and she repeated herself.

“ _Nathaniel_?” she said again, her heart still racing as he released his grip on her and the Doctor, “ _Geeze_ , you nearly gave me a heart attack,” she said with a shaky breath, looking to an almost as equally startled Doctor.

“ _Here’s_ a tip, if you’re going to follow someone, try to be a little less _obvious_ about it.”

“We weren’t that…..”

He shot her a gaze that once again let the words fade from her mouth.

“obvious…”

He rubbed his forehead before giving a sigh of exasperation.

“Look, clearly you two have a death wish. So, if I can’t make you stay away, at least stay quiet,” he said, his arm falling to his side as he relented. Maggie smiled squeaked slightly as she grabbed onto the Doctor’s sleeve in excitement, resulting in another groan from Nathaniel. His gaze snapped towards the Doctor as he reached beneath his coat and drew out a revolver.

“You and Shirley Temple here stay close, you understand?”

The Doctor grinned, offering a mock-salute.

“Eye-yey captain!”

//////

They sat in Nathaniel’s car for what felt like hours.

“Is hunting always this….. _boring_?” the Doctor droned, his palm pressed lazily into his cheek as his elbow rested on the seat in front of him.

Nathaniel gave a dry chuckle, taking a large swig from a flask. As he repocketed it, he caught Maggie’s curious gaze as she watched his movements carefully.

“I know I have a beautiful mug, but it’s not polite to stare, _Chiquita_ ,” Nathaniel remarked, staring back out the front window. Maggie couldn’t fight the sudden flush the rose to her face, and she frowned.

“Just wondering how anyone gets into this sort of thing….” She said in a near grouchy mumble.

“And you’ll keep wondering for a long time,” he shot back.

Maggie opened her mouth to form some retort when she noticed he suddenly stiffened up, his gaze fixed ahead.

“That’s him….” He said, quickly unbuckling, as a figure stood beside a corner streetlamp. Another figure approached him and they began to speak.

“Oh, brilliant!” the Doctor said, suddenly sitting up in his seat, “So, what can we do now?”

“You two can stay in the car,” Nathaniel said humorlessly, climbing out of the car and slamming the door behind him as he briskly approached the figures from the shadows. Maggie furrowed her brows, meeting the Doctor’s eyes.

“We’re getting out of the car, right?”

“Oh God, yes.”

By the time they shut the car doors, Nathaniel had already set upon the man. Two gunshots rang through the night air, until the man knocked the revolver from Nathaniel’s grasp. The Doctor and Maggie skidded to a stop just as Nathaniel splashed the figure with liquid from a flask hidden in his coat. The man seemed to nearly hiss, and a vapor-like mist rose from his face as he contorted in pain.

“Is that _supposed_ to happen?” Maggie blurted out.

“ _Yes_ ,” Nathaniel said between gritted teeth, kicking the figure back.

“No, I think she means _that_ ,” the Doctor repeated, pointing to the man’s face half-melting like plastic. Nathaniel looked at him with a raised brows before he looked back at the man. His expression suddenly dropped.

Before he could say anything, the man lunged for him again. He side-stepped the attack and landed a punch on the man’s face.

“Ouch…..” Nathaniel muttered, looking at his now bleeding fist in confusion, “He’s….. _solid_?”

When his gaze rose again, the man’s head seemed to be stuck, half-twisted around, almost like a distorted mannequin doll.

“ _Qué mierda….”_ Nathaniel muttered, his brows furrowed.

 “Ah, do demons usually do that?” Maggie remarked from behind him, panic slipping into her voice.

“ _No_.”

She didn’t like the sudden uncertainty and the look of alarm that crept into Nathaniel’s face.

He stepped back as the black-eyed figure slowly took another disjointed step forward.

“Uh….so what do we do now?”

Nathaniel slowly stepped back before he suddenly grabbed her elbow and pushed her behind him.

“ _Run_.”


End file.
